Joint position statement issued to provide vitamin D clarity
Cancer Research UK has joined with the British Association of Dermatologists, Diabetes UK, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Heart Forum, the National Osteoporosis Society and the Primary Care Dermatology Society to issue a joint position statement on vitamin D.
While it has a number of known benefits, there are still a number of unanswered questions associated with the vitamin.
These include what levels count as "sufficient" or "optimal" and whether vitamin D can help to protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the fact that the sun's rays are people's main source of vitamin D raises questions about the trade-off between under- and overexposure, with the former linked - through vitamin D deficiency - to bone conditions such as rickets in children, and the latter to skin cancer, including melanoma.
As a result, the organisations have presented their unified views in an attempt to provide clarity.
Read the whole article at Cancer Research UK
Reference
- Consensus Vitamin D position statement (
PDF file, 128 kB)
Keywords: vitamin D, sunlight, vitamin supplements
16. 12. 2010 Cancer Research UK
